CIOs should demand more analytics on ERPs

PUNE, INDIA: The future of ERPs could not be at a better turning point when the traditional models and Budgets or projects are being challenged by Web-delivery models and slowdown impact respectively.

This however, is the most opportune time for CIOs to evolve that perfect ERP and also to fill the gap between transaction systems and analytics, feels Ajit Sathe, Head of Sales - Emerging Markets, Quinnox Consultancy Services.

As he stresses, "The demand on these two areas is still not coming from CIOs while they are engrossed in the more mundane issues of operational problems or low implementation costs. ERP platforms should be integrated with analytics seemlessely to derive exceptional value and put more intelligence in the system."

" A CIO should ask about optimization methods that are well integrated with the capacity and utilization. Despite the growth in SME segment, it's the bigger customers who have the challenge of harnessing mountains of information and this does not necessarily limit to a BI tool or a CRM 360," he said responding to the the factor of separate BI and ERP offerings in the market."

A lot of solutions are trying to work on the gap, including biggies like Oracle, but things on the demand side would need to spur the progress further, as he opines.

DW, CRM, Analytics is where the market is headed next and that would be an inflection point, he says.

As to the CIOs stuck in the transition or stalemate of moving on to bigger implementations or new models like SaaS or moving away from legacy systems, in context to the slowdown and consequent cut in Budgets today, he says, "A business is not all about saving cash but about earning cash. Cash is important in today's economic state but investments would be driving earnings. It's good to cut unnecessary fat but if CIOs do not invest where they should, someone else will."

As he adds, this of all the times, is a time of luxury for CIOs to be challenged operationally and squeeze out the perfect efficient ERP amidst all the challenges. You hardly look so carefully or so closely at your issues when the time is easy."

Quinnox offers IT lifecycle solutions, in development and support services, including packaged implementations and product development services. Its major industry domains are retail where it works with technology partners like SAP and WebMethods, for offerings like e-Business solutions, Enterprise Application Integration, CRM and multi-country ERP Roll-outs etc. In manufacturing it works in areas like package implementation covering Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Supply Chain Management (SCM) and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) solutions.